.7z compression

[northside down]

Is the .7z (7-zip) archive format acceptable for packaging uploads, or is it absolutely mandatory that uploads are packaged in either WinZip or RAR formats? A link to the 7-zip homepage can be provided if availability is a concern; since 7-zip is free and open source, it may actually be a preferable option over proprietary software.

I am asking since 7-zip can only read/extract from .rar archives, but can't create them. I have a packaged lot I would like to upload that, in a zipped folder, is barely too large (1.1 MB), but that could easily be shaved down further if compressed using 7-zip's format, which generally has compression ratios superior to RAR archives.

If .7z's aren't allowed, what programs (preferably free and open source) are recommended for RAR compression?

[HystericalParoxysm]

You're welcome to upload as a .7z - we recently added it as an option for file type for upload. Some of the Creator Guidelines may not have been updated to reflect this yet though, but my most recent sim uploads have been .7z files

[northside down]

Awesome. Thank you for the prompt response and the assistance.

-Ryan
Northside Down Technologies, Product Distribution Division

[northside down]

One more related inquiry:

Should I provide customised installation instructions for .7z archives, or should I assume that users will know what they're doing? For now I'm including a note in the main description that the file is compressed using the 7-zip format, and that installation is the same, except using 7-zip instead of WinRAR / WinZip / etc., but if special installation instructions are recommended, future uploads will certainly feature it.

[HystericalParoxysm]

Don't worry about it - we recommend 7zip/WinRAR so they should be able to just install normally.